Daily Archives: November 29, 2010

Seeing as I’m a foodie living in a city with 10,000 restaurants, I try to make a point of eating at one new place every week. I budget for one restaurant outing a week, but depending on the calibre of the restaurant even that can get expensive!

I’m lucky enough to be surrounded by top-notch restaurants here in the East end of Toronto. Some of the city’s best are just a hop, skip and perhaps a roll away.

Sushi Marche is a take-out sushi spot located on Queen St E. It consistently gets stellar revues across the board. The head chef having even worked under Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto.

You’d think I’d have been all over this place as soon as I landed here. I love sushi. But Sushi Marché is expensive. Especially for a take-out joint. Despite the rave revues and famous chef, I could just never bring myself to pay 30 bucks for a teeny serving of fish and rice, no matter how good. Y’all know I’m a cheapskate!

Thankfully, the whole online “group coupon” thing is big in Toronto right now. Everyday, I get a dozen e-mails to my inbox offering half price for haircuts, manicures, exercise classes and of course restaurants. So when $15 for $30 worth of Sushi Marché popped up, I jumped on the chance!

I waited until Sunday evening to order my sushi feast. After a long weekend of working at the running store and an empty fridge at home, it was the perfect opportunity. I had to call an hour ahead because it usually takes 40-60 minutes to prepare. You can tell they put special care and attention into their food!

I started with red tuna + salmon sashimi. I loooove sashimi for its rich taste and thick texture. But both kind fell a little flat to me. The tuna tasted bland.

Next up was the eel/avocado inside-out roll with eel, avocado, cucumber, fish roe and spicy sauce. I ordered this because I am always getting recommendations to try the eel. Unfortunately the pieces of eel were a little too small to get the full flavour.

Finally, the roll that gets the most rave reviews, kamikaze roll with tuna, tempura flakes, cucumber, fish roe and spicy sauce. Now this was amazing. The tempura flakes and spicy sauce had me salivating as I ate it. That is, until I got that inevitable citrus bite. Sushi Marché is known for using citrus in their rice, something that isn’t very traditional. I thought this meant “citrus scented.” Apparently it means “random hunks of citrus that make you pucker.” Totally ruined what could have been a stellar roll for me.

Verdict? Happy I finally got to try the famed Sushi Marché. Even happier I didn’t pay the full thirty bucks for this. Especially since I was still hungry enough to eat an apple after.

For me, sushi will always be something that is about the dining experience. Not about taking it home in a plastic bag to eat off my coffee table. The best sushi I’ve ever had was actually in Moncton, New Brunswick. Sharing a boat on my birthday with my mother as we bonded over magnificent food together.

I guess it’s not so much the chef, hype or jacked up prices. But rather the company you keep.

Mom, we are totally hitting up Pink Sushi again when I’m home :)

Question of the Day: What has been your biggest dining disappointment?

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Welcome!

My name is Susan, I'm a 20-something living in Atlantic Canada and this is my blog about... me. I used to blog about food and fitness, but that all changed in June 2011 when I was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma. After six months of chemotherapy, I was declared cancer-free in January 2012. I now write about anything and everything as I stumble through my post-cancer world. I'm a trained journalist currently working as a writer/researcher. I also have a background in personal fitness training and nutrition. Welcome to my piece of the internet!
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